Tips for Success at the Farmers Market

Before opening a successful brick & mortar storefront (West Forty Market), Teresa Davis was a farmers market vendor for 4 seasons.

"It was definitely a lot of work," Teresa says, "but I wouldn't be where I'm at if I hadn't put in that time."

Taking part in a popular farmers market helped Teresa market her meat and build up a loyal following that continues to support her business today.

Read on for Teresa's tips, or check out our Farmer's Market Webinar to hear directly from Teresa herself!

The Set-Up

In those days, Teresa was a one man (woman) show. She had a small enclosed trailer with two freezers: a chest freezer on a custom-made wheeled base, and a small, glass-front freezer, also on wheels.

The chest freezer held most of the meat available for sale at the market, while the glass-front freezer held ground beef - a bestseller.

Beef sticks and jerky were placed in a tray of ice on a table. These snacks were a popular item among farmer's market attendees!

A dry-erase sandwich board displayed the cuts available in the freezer and the prices.

Teresa used a pop-up tent and a couple of folding tables, and was able to set up and tear down the entire display herself.

Teresa often had specials and sales as a way to move inventory and encourage customers to return and try something new. She also kept her ground beef prices as low as possible. "Ground beef is the carrot I dangle in front of them to get them to make that first purchase," she says.

Teresa's Tips:

While repeat customers were common, Teresa says there are a couple things she would do differently looking back on her farmers market experience.

1. Capture more email addresses. Teresa encouraged her customers to follow her on social media and many did. Then, in the off-season, they would message her orders and she would arrange a pick-up location (often times a parking lot). But social media can be fickle and you can't be sure that your followers will see your posts, so an email list is helpful to reach customers in the off-season.

2. Use an online store for pre-orders. When Teresa was selling at the farmers market, she didn't have an online store. If she were to become a vendor again, she says she would definitely utilize her online store to push pre-orders.

3. Choose your farmers market wisely! Before committing to a farmers market, Teresa suggests looking into the marketing and vendor support offered by the market. Location is important, but some markets in small towns are wildly successful if the marketing is done well!